Thaw
by Soulreciever
Summary: Roy makes the choice to act as he could not last time, to voice the secret of his heart. How will this choice affect Ed's ultimate decision? Vauge Movie spoilers. Slash. AU
1. Closure

Thaw.

1. Closure.

T: This is a sequel to Freeze, though it is not necessary to read that fic for this one to make sense! Warnings of angst, movie spoilers, slash, later AU, slight OOC and other fun things! I own nothing that you see here other than the plot bunny!

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The decision to return to Central had been made more out of a whim than any firm belief that there was anything waiting for him there and so it'd been the most pleasant of surprises when the chaos had begun…when it had become clear that, somehow, Edward Elric had come home.

The boy's return had fuelled him with an enthusiasm he'd long thought snuffed out and, before he was quite aware, he was five foot above the ground, thick canvas, finely woven wicker and a hot air current, the only things between himself and certain death.

When he had come again face to face with the boy who had, over the years, become the main player in his more lurid fantasies, he'd had tome to register the changes that age had made to his face, that the other was more 'man' now than 'boy', before the situation about them had claimed the entirety of his attention.

Somehow the chaos of the situation had led to an almost 'autopilot' reaction from his body and, before he could stop himself, he'd been insulting the younger Alchemist….

…had allowed things between them to fall again into the old pattern.

He'd only realised how very destructive such a thing was as Edward had mounted the alien aircraft, as the other had given him a look that had effectively said his farewells for him and as he'd felt Alphonse tense up at his side.

Running on pure instinct there would have been but one sure conclusion to the whole affair and, recalling the promise he had made to himself, he'd leased his hold on Alphonse, taken a step toward the other and, fixing those beautiful golden eyes with his own, more mundane, onyx eyes, he had said,

"I love you, Edward Elric."

At which point things had fallen again into chaos.

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He'd been propped in his current position for a good hour now, eyes focused on the small line of photos which sat on his desk and his right hand played, almost absently, over the fabric that all but covered that side of his face.

Had this been a few year previous she would have forced him out of whatever foolish stupor he'd fallen into with a hard tone and the threat of her loaded gun. Now, however, he was likely to become worse for the sight of her, his foolishly misplaced belief that he'd somehow wronged her making it impossible for he to do anything other than treat her as some fragile doll.

She had attempted, more than once today, to tell him that she had not viewed their time together as anything more than simply friendship, that she had known, long before he, where his heart lay. Yet each time she had stepped into the office he had begun asking silly question that had led to even sillier answers and her being again on the other side of the doorway.

"Care to share your thoughts?" Havoc enquires as he props himself, somewhat precariously, against the left hand edge of her desk.

"Not particularly."

"Which means that you're mulling over the unsettled issues that lie still between yourself and our newly returned commanding officer, right?"

"And you say that you're not a physic." The response brings a lazy smile to his lips and the reply of,

"I'm trying to keep my talents a secret," before his mood sobers and he informs her, "You can't keep edging around him forever, especially when what he needs right at this very moment is the sort of 'tough love' that you're a pro at delivering."

"I'll assume that there's a compliment in there, shall I?" She enquires as she gains her feet.

"It's probably the best bet, yes." He responds, the humour in the words bringing a smile to her lips for the first in what seems a lifetime.

That smile lingering on her lips she heads to his doorway and pushing it the rest of the way open, she remarks,

"I think it's time we talked, sir."

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T: Next chapter Friday. Review?


	2. Reflection

2. Reflection.

T: A day late because my laptop died yesterday and I've been busy attempting to get it working again! I own nothing that you see here…warnings remain the same.

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Though not precisely simple Edward Elric's life had, until a month and 24 hours previous, been free of complications. His every thought and action had been dedicated to the goal of seeing Alphonse again, of returning, at last, to the world of his birth.

Then he'd become tangled firstly in Heidrich's life and then Noah's, had learned of the Thule society and its terrible plan to cannibalise Amistrius's 'magic' for its own ends, had found his way home only to be presented with little choice but to leave again and then…

He can recall still how very angry Alphonse had looked, can recall how desperately guilty that anger had made him feel, how he'd wished to simply forget about anything other than being at his little brother's side.

He'd had a responsibility, however, to undo the harm that he had, indirectly, caused and so he'd pushed away all thoughts of saying, had focused only on going back again.

Then the colonel had said what he said, he'd become angry for the poor timing, they'd fallen into a stupid fight and he'd ended out sprawled across a barrack be with Alphonse hovering uncertainly at his side.

"'Niisan, you can't avoid him forever." There is a weariness in the words that makes it clear how his brother believes he is going to respond to them and, caught in the childish desire to prove the other wrong, he gives the responding enquiry of,

"And why do you say that?" in as rational a tone as he can manage.

His brother does not give an immediate reply, but rather takes the time to settle at his feet and establish a point of physical contact between them (this in the form of a hand balanced carefully upon his left leg) before he says,

"Something in what he said got to you, 'niisan, enough that, for the very first time, you hesitated before taking action. Do you not wish to know why that is? Why his love made you stay when mine could not?"

"It wasn't like that, ototo….I wanted to stay for your sake and yet…"

"It's alright, 'niisan, I understand."

"That makes one of us at least." He remarks as he buries his head all the further into the pillow.

There is a moment of silence and then his brother's head is burying its way into his shoulder blade, the added weight and heat of this contact settling a little of the tension he had been feeling.

"You'll find a way through, 'niisan, I'm sure of it."

It would be unfair of him to undermine the confidence that is clear in his brother's tone, unfair of him to allow his cynicism to mar the other's enthusiasm and thus he responds simply with, "Thank you, ototo," rather than the reply of 'don't hold you're breath', that'd been lingering on his tongue.

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"I think it's time we talked, sir."

There is the barest of wavers in the words that tells of how much she has gone through to say them, buried deeply in the confidence of her stance.

It is the show of dedication, the clear sign that she has put thought into this particular attempt to broach this particular line of conversation, rather than false confidence or shaky fragility, that brings him to enquire,

"What would you like to talk about?"

She lingers a moment by the doorway, hesitant still of the uncertainties lurking before her and then she crosses the space between them and settles into the chair at the opposite side of his desk.

Once she is seated she enquires,

"Let us start with the unspoken issues that lie between us and move on from there, shall we?"

"I abused your trust, Hawkeye and, upon realising this fact, I fled like a coward rather than apologising to you."

"I wanted to look after you, sir, wanted to assure myself that you were not going to do something silly once it became clear that Edward had 'vanished' and I understand why you left…understand that you needed your own space."

"Then you knew about my affection for Edward?"

"Most likely before you yourself had truly acknowledged it, sir."

"I see."

There is the faintest traces of a smile on her lips now and, with the tension in the air dissipating simply for its presence, he feels himself relaxing…feels the black mood that had been settling on him dissolve as though it had never existed.

"What would you like to discuss next?" He enquires after an instant of companionable silence.

"What is it that you plan to do now, sir?"

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T: That's it for this chapter, expect the next one Tuesday at the latest. Review?


	3. Conflict

3. Conflict.

T: I had hoped to finish this fic on this chapter but it seems that I need at least one more chapter to tie the loose ends! Warnings remain the same and I still own nothing that you see here other than the plot bunny.

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"What would you like to discuss next?" He enquires as he leans, ever so slightly, towards her.

Feeling buoyed by this further sign that he is already feeling more 'himself' she responds,

"What it is that you plan to do now, sir."

"Nothing." It is not quite the response she had expected and, caught by surprise, it is a few minutes before she says,

"You can not mean that."

"Yet I do. I have done all that I intended to do in regards to the situation with Edward and the city, as well as Amistrius, is fairing well enough without the control of a Fuehrer."

"Then you mean to leave again?"

"Precisely."

He is either being deliberately obtrusive or stupidly naive, yet, whatever the emotion behind the words and the reasoning, she can not help but be infuriated by both.

That he could show such genuine remorse for leaving the last time the situation spiralled beyond his control and then, all but in the same breath, state the intent to do as such again…

She knows that he shall not listen to reasoning while in this mood, that any gentle guidance she might offer will be rebuked all but the moment the words leave her lips and yet…

The certainty that Havoc's confidence in her 'tough love' had given her has been bleeding away with each instant that she spends in the presence of her commanding officer, with every subtle show of how desperately uncertain he is at the moment… of how much he has changed since the last she had talked to him properly.

At this very moment she wished, more than anything, that Hughes was still alive, that she could leave him to 'make everything better' as he had countless times before. It is a desperate, aimless, want and it places a sense of hopelessness upon her heart that serves to erase the previous atmosphere of content that had existed between the colonel and herself.

Though she feels foolishly cowardly for doing as such she begins to concoct a reasonable excuse for leaving his presence, for stepping away from the matter before she serves to make it all the worse. Such excuses flee from her mind at the sound of someone knocking upon the colonel's door.

"Enter." As the command leaves his lips his posture tightens and, after but an instant, all traces of uncertainty, desperation and loss, have been replaced by the firm confidence she associated always with his 'old self'.

In the instant before the door opens she wonders at the reasoning behind this mask, wonders why, if he is sincere in his desire to leave the military completely, he feels the need to 'be strong' for his men.

Then their 'guest' crosses into the space and the mast, as well as her want to understand its purpose, disappears completely.

Stood with his back pressed tight to the doorway and his hands folded before him as a clear sign of discomfort, is Alphonse Elric.

A gentle, kindly, smile spreading onto his lips the colonel enquires,

"What can I do for you, Alphonse?"

The other looks uncertainly in her direction and, making a guess at the reason for this, she says,

"You may feel free to talk in front of me, Alphonse."

"I am certain that someone has told you that, since his return two days previously, 'niisan has been working on a way to close both gates simultaneously."

"I was told that he has been spending a great deal of time in the library." The colonel responds, "I did not, however, know the purpose behind that research."

"Did the person who gave you this information also tell you of the toll that research has been having on 'niisan? That he has spent his every waking moment making notes and testing theories?"

"They did, indeed, express to me a concern for his welfare."

Without warning Alphonse darts across the room and, ceasing at the collar of the colonel's dress uniform, lifts him bodily from his chair.

"How can you have listened to such words and remained so very calm? How can you claim to love him and then sit idle as he kills himself?"

The colonel gently extricates himself from Alphonse's grip and, his voice oh so calm, he responds,

"It is because I love him that I remain motionless, that I allow him the freedom to live his life as he will without my care harbouring his process any more than it has already."

"You fool." The words are harsh, ugly, things that are made all the worse by he who has spoken them and, seeing well the opportunity presented by their shock value, she says, "Perhaps it is best that you leave, Alphonse," as she pulls him gently from the colonel and steps into the newly created space.

"Not until I've made him see sense." Alphonse retorts before he, very gently, pushes her to one side. "My brother is a reckless individual who charges through life without taking time to think about anything other than the present. Thus for him to have actually stopped to think things through…for him to be so caught up in those thoughts as to be forced to go to such lengths to distract himself from them…" he pauses a moment, then enquires, "Do you see what is it that I am trying to tell you, colonel?"

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T: Next chapter Friday, until then why not review??


	4. Hope

4. Hope.

T: Yes this is the final chapter for this fic, yes I am considering writing a sequel and thus I fear there is going to be an open ending! Warnings remain the same and I still own nothing that you see here other than the plot bunny!!

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"Do you see what it is that I am trying to tell you, colonel?"

"That Edward found something in my words that caused him to remain here?"

"Correct." Alphonse clearly expects something else of him and, after a moment of thought, he enquires,

"You have want for me to believe, despite the evidence to the contrary, that he cares for me?"

"By 'evidence' I'm assuming you're referring to the things that he said and did the last that you two talked?"

"I take it from the tone of your voice that you believe me still 'foolish'?"

"Indeed."

"Might I ask why?"

"Because, of all the people in the world, you should understand the best how very hot headed 'niisan is."

He allows the silence to drag out a moment after this, then, the oddest of chills settling over his heart, he enquires,

"You are being serious?"

"Yes." It is a simple enough response and yet it prompts the most complex of reactions from his body.

For suddenly he feels both chilled and so very warm, feels as one walking in a dream yet somehow so very grounded in reality.

This mix of sensations, as well as the broil of emotions that accompanies it, threatens to push him into making hasty decisions that he is assured he would later regret and, in a vain attempt to gain back some form of control over his actions, he enquires,

"Has Edward discussed such things with you, or indeed asked that you might talk to me of them?"

For the first since his anger had gotten the better of him Alphonse looks uncertain of himself, looks again as the Alphonse Elric he had come to know in the weeks after Edward's disappearance.

"He will not talk to me directly about why he chose to stay…will not talk about you at all without looking uncertain or uncomfortable…"

"Do you not think it more likely that he remained for your sake, that he has dedicated so much time to his research because he wishes to find a swift answer rather than because he needs distracting?"

"I know that is not the case, colonel and if you'd just talk to him I know that you'd realise this also…know that 'niisan would at last understand completely."

He has no want to talk to Edward again, to make the inevitability of being separated from the other all the harder and yet…

It is this niggling doubt that brings him to inform the other,

"I shall talk to him, Alphonse, though I do not promise that it shall change everything."

A gentle smile lighting his lips the boy says, "Thank you, colonel," before he leaves the room at last.

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Aggravated beyond belief he slams the book closed and, glancing up at the shelves before him, he says,

"You think I'd be able to find one decent bit of reference material amongst this junk!"

"Perhaps I could be of assistance," a familiar voice remarks as a book is pressed into his line of sight.

Judging from its title the book contains the sort of information that he'd been searching, for and, taking the thing from the other's hands, he enquires,

"Where the hell did you find this?"

"In the botany section."

"They should fire whoever the hell organises this place." He remarks as he flicks the thing open.

He swiftly becomes lost in the absorption of the theories presented on the page and it is only when the other enquires, "Might I have a moment of your time?" that he is reminded of his presence.

The serious edge to the elder man's voice is one that he has heard but a handful of times since they had first been introduced and he knows well that he can not simply ignore the statement nor edge his way out of making a response.

Making a note of the page number he is currently on he closes the book, sets it carefully to one side, then enquires,

"How can I help?"

"Your brother has expressed a concern to me about the amount of time you have spent here since your return."

"Why didn't he voice such concerns to me?"

"Because he believes I am responsible for your presence here."

"How?"

"He believes you are spending you're every waking hour here because you wish to distract yourself from thinking on what I said to you the last we talked."

He finds himself unable to argue against the logic of those words and, feeling slightly childish, he remarks,

"Alphonse should learn to keep his nose out of my business."

The colonel's posture relaxes then and, his lips twisting into the familiar smug smile, he enquires,

"Am I to believe that he is correct in his reasoning?"

If not for Munich and the lessons he had learned in that city he is assured that he would have snapped in this moment, that he would have allowed his anger to again get the better of him and thus make the situation ten times worse.

As it is he takes a deep breath and, only once he feels truly calm, he responds,

"I do not know and that fact is scaring the hell out of me…made me act in the way that I did the last that we talked…"

"I see." The smile on the colonel's lips has opened out into something almost beautiful and, after what seems a lifetime, the elder man enquires, "Have you a want to understand why my words have affected you so…a want to see where travelling lives road together might lead?"

It is the simplest and yet the most complex of questions he has ever been asked and it takes him the greatest of whiles to respond,

"I would like that, yes."

The truer smile remains an instant more on the colonel's lips and then the other is passing the book back into his care and enquiring,

"Let's get these gate sealed, shall we?"

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T: review??


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